


Broken Dishes & Mended Hearts

by SpoonerGirl1



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bobby Ships It, Cas is a Police Officer, Cute, Dean Likes Cas in Tight Uniform Pants, Dean is a Sweetheart, Flirting, Fluff, Fluffy, M/M, Meet-Cute, Sam Ships It, Sweet Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-17 23:44:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7290922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpoonerGirl1/pseuds/SpoonerGirl1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts and ends with broken dishes as Sam Winchester moves out of his brother, Dean's apartment for his PhD program, and an officer is called to investigate a noise complaint. Can Officer Castiel Novak take Dean's mind off of the pain of his brother moving away for the first time? Can Dean restore Castiel's faith and trust in a romantic partner?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Dishes & Mended Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> This story hasn't really been beta'd or edited, aside from myself rereading it a thousand times to make sure it's good enough to submit, and having my sister, Sarah (4Jackles) read it before posting, so please be kind if you find any errors, and let me know so I can address them immediately. This is also the first fic I've written where Dean is romantic and rather quick to show emotion, and he and Cas are very sweet to each other. I hope you like and enjoy this fluffiness!
> 
> ~~~~~  
> This was a challenge/prompt that was posted in the FB Destiel Fanfic Writers & Readers page. We were given the prompt to write something, or create some art based on either the song New Life by Thomas Bergersen (Song: https://youtu.be/m9N9MewJde0) or the word "Dishes." I chose the word.
> 
> ~~~~~  
> This story has now been translated to Russian. Here's the link to that fanfic site. https://ficbook.net/readfic/4822639
> 
> ~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sam was just putting the last of his clothes and knick knacks in a box and taping it up when he heard what sounded like glass breaking, and a loud and angry "Sonofabitch!" from the kitchen. He ran out of his bedroom like a shot to make sure Dean hadn't injured himself. He stopped short just inside the doorway to find Dean staring at the floor, hands in fists at his thighs.

"Dude! What happened?"

"I broke a dish." Dean sounded tired. Dejected. "I was trying to divide up the dishes, and it slipped out of my hand...I can't do this, Sammy. This fucking sucks."

"Dean, it's not like I'm dying. I'm just moving. I'd stay here, but I can't pass up the opportunity to live so close the UConn campus. You know how hard their PhD law program is. I can't be taking a train commute home every day. C'mon, you can visit me any time. An hour by car, maybe two by train, and you'll be on my doorstep. Besides, you'll be busy with life in the city, so I bet you won't even realize I'm gone half the time."

Dean mumbled something inaudible, and finally looked up at Sam. There were actual tears in his eyes that were threatening to spill over, and Sam's heart broke just a little to know he was the cause of his big brother's pain. Just then, he had an idea. He grabbed one of the ceramic plates in the six place setting that Dean was dividing up and packing. He turned it over in his hands as if examining it. Without warning, he threw it down hard onto the tile floor, and watched as it shattered into about a hundred little pieces.

Dean gaped at his brother, and then the corners of his mouth slowly turned up into a smile. He grabbed a cup and smashed it on the floor, then grabbed a bowl and a saucer, one in each hand, and smashed them both. Sam picked up another plate and a cup, and smashed them, as well, adding to the mess on the kitchen floor. They were smiling and laughing, bouncing like children as they smashed every dish that was on the table. Dean was rooting around in the cabinet for more dishes to break when a sharp knock came at the front door. He immediately sobered and went to answer it.

He opened the door and came face to face with a police officer, fist raised, ready to knock again. The officer was only slightly shorter than Dean with wavy, dark brown - almost black - hair that framed a ridiculously handsome face and strong jaw. He was wearing NYPD's navy blue uniform that hugged his body nicely, and highlighted his beautiful blue eyes. The officer's plump lips were pursed, and the lines in his forehead were sharp as he stared at Dean authoritatively. As if he was a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Dean's face grew hot, and he started stammering.

"W....wha...um. Hi officer. Wha...uh, what can I do for you?" He folded and unfolded his arms, then tried to nonchalantly put a hand on his hip and lean casually against the door frame, but just ended up feeling uneasy under the weight of that piercing blue stare. He finally just stood, clasping his hands together in front of him, looking anywhere but into the eyes of Officer McSexypants.

"We've received two separate complaints from the other units in this building. One woman was convinced someone in your apartment was being murdered." He peered around Dean into the room, as if to confirm that there was, or was not, a dead body somewhere behind him.

"Oh," was all Dean could muster. His mouth felt like the Sahara.

Sam came out from the kitchen just then, and stood next to Dean. He reached out his hand toward the officer, in an attempt at a handshake.

"Can we help you, Officer...Novak?" Sam asked, as he read the officer's name badge on his uniform.

The officer regarded Sam's outstretched hand, but did not accept the handshake, and instead cocked his head to the side and looked up at Sam's face, sizing up his tall, fit frame, eyes curiously darting between him and Dean.

"As I was telling your partner," he curtly nodded his head toward Dean, "we've received two separate noise complaints from the units in your building, and one report of domestic violence. Are you and your partner alright? Are either of you hurt? Do you or your partner have any weapons on your person that I should be aware of? And finally, do either or both of you need to file a domestic violence complaint?"

Dean and Sam looked at each other and began shaking their heads, gesturing wildly, and talking loudly over each other. "We're not..." "He's not my..." "We don't do..." "Oh, you thought..." "Yeah, uh, NO!" "Eww! He's my brother!"

The officer watched, and listened to them clamor and explain, and grew increasingly amused. Inwardly, he was intensely happy that these two were not partners. The shorter one was rather hot, with that carefully sculpted short blonde hair, freckles that continued deliciously from his nose to his neck and down under his shirt, and those wide, light green eyes perfectly framed by long lashes. The officer cleared his throat and held out a hand, palm flat, and the brothers stopped talking at once.

"Care to tell me what happened, gentlemen? By law, I am required to investigate every complaint."

Dean continued to stare, slightly open-mouthed, at the incredibly gorgeous police officer in front of him, but did not move from his position in the doorway, even though Sam had already taken a step back and gestured with his hand, inviting the officer into the apartment. Sam huffed, and punched Dean on the shoulder to get his attention. "Dude. Move."

Dean momentarily woke up from the sexy police officer porn scenario playing in his mind. He raised his eyebrows and nodded approvingly, staring at the officer's tight, uniform-clad ass as he moved past him into the living room.

Sam led the officer into the kitchen to show him what had happened. Dean trailed behind, still soaking in the deliciousness that were the nice, round ass and thick thighs so beautifully wrapped in blue in front of him.  _Damn...I've totally got a thing for police uniforms now._

"... so you see, officer Novak, my brother and I were breaking dishes. I'm moving, and...well, Dean wasn't taking it very well. He's never lived alone..."

Dean perked up at hearing his name. "Dude! You don't have to give him my life story!"

"....and so I was trying to cheer him up. He dropped a plate and it broke, so I broke one, and then another, and then it sort of got out of control, and we smashed everything."

The officer was smiling, now, evidently very amused by the brothers.

O _h my god,_ Dean thought. _H_ _e's so beautiful, and Sammy's making me sound like freaking girl._ He shook his head to clear it and dropped his gaze to the floor as he felt his neck and face light up with a fierce blush.

The officer reached out and put a hand on Dean's shoulder, as if to comfort him. He was still smiling.

"I understand. I had a similar experience when I left my childhood home for college. It was not pretty. My brother had to keep me from destroying all of my books...I admit, I 'freaked out,'" the officer removed his hand from Dean's shoulder to make air quotes, then replaced it immediately, "as I was packing, and tried to rip my books in half. I succeeded in destroying a few, and it felt wonderful. It was immensely therapeutic." He smiled again, this time, he was looking into Dean's eyes.

Sam noticed the exchange and just shook his head and smiled to himself as he watched his brother and the officer become completely enamored with each other. Eventually the awkward staring between the two became too much for him to bear, and he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Ahem."

Neither of them looked up, so he coughed. Hard. They tore their eyes from each other, and the officer dropped his hand back to his side. Sam chuckled.

"Listen, I need to get this cleaned up and finish packing. Are you gonna file charges, officer? Or are we free to go?"

Dean looked at the officer expectantly.

"I suppose it was just a misunderstanding, so I can't charge you with anything, or take you into custody." He sounded disappointed, but continued, emphasizing his words as they were directly Dean. "You may want to be careful about the noises you make in the future, especially if you think the neighbors might hear them." He winked.

 _He winked at me. Holy shit, Officer McSexypants winked at me!_ Dean blushed furiously again.

Sam rolled his eyes. He was so over this already, but secretly happy his brother had something to distract him from the move for a while.

"So, officer Novak, can my brother get your card? You know, just in case he um, you know, has any questions or anything? His name is Dean, by the way. Dean Winchester. And I'm Sam."

The officer quickly dug his card out of his wallet and handed it over to Dean. Their fingers brushed softly as Dean took the card, and this time the officer blushed at the spark he felt pass between them.

Sam watched them stare at each other, again, and pulled a hand through his long hair. _Ok, t_ _his is just getting weird._

"Ok, officer, thanks so much for coming out, but we're cool." Sam had his hand on the officer's arm, and steered him back towards the front door as Dean read the officer's card.

_Castiel Novak. Castiel. Nice._

"Thanks again, officer Novak. We're just gonna clean up now. My brother will totally call you if he has questions. I promise."

Sam offered a smile to the officer as he gave a little wave and closed the door. He turned to look at Dean - who was still standing in the kitchen doorway with a dreamy, far away look on his face as he stared at the card in his hands. Sam shook his head, and sighed.

"Dude, just hurry up and call him already."

Dean smiled as he dug his cell out of his pocket, and disappeared into his bedroom, his conversation fading down the hallway.

"Hi officer Novak, it's Dean Winchester. You were just at...yeah. Ok, Cas it is. So I actually do have a question. Are you, um, are you free Friday night...?"

 

~~~~~

 

Three weeks and six very successful dates later, Dean and Cas were in Dean's apartment, snuggling on the couch, watching a documentary about some war. Dean couldn't remember which war, though, because he was preoccupied with the soft, dark hair he was combing through his fingers.

"We should go buy you some dishes, Dean. Eating takeout every night and using rinsed out solo cups is counter-intuitive." Cas looked up at Dean for a response.

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, ok. We can go to somewhere tomorrow and pick something out." He smiled down at Cas.

Cas was in his police issue sweats and T-shirt, lying with his head in Dean's lap, stomach full and eyes drooping from eating too much Chinese takeout. It was all ridiculously domestic and something Cas should have been afraid of, but he couldn't bring himself to stop dating Dean. Instead of trying to get away, he looked forward to nights in, holding hands in the supermarket, and cuddling and ignoring the documentaries he begged Dean to watch with him. Cas tuned out the television once again, and instead concentrated on the feeling of Dean's hands in his hair. He hummed, and nestled his head further into Dean's lap.

Cas was normally prone to one night stands and casual encounters since his last steady boyfriend a few years ago, but he annoyingly found himself wanting to take things slowly with Dean. Three weeks was the longest he'd waited in years. Beyond some heavy petting and a lot of very hot makeout sessions, neither of them had pushed for anything further. Cas was incredibly attracted to Dean, who was not only smoking hot, but also extremely charming and funny. It just wasn't his usual M.O. to wait to sleep with someone, because he'd already wasted eight years with a man who'd cheated on him, and he didn't see the use in finding someone for the long term when it would only end in his own inevitable heartbreak. Instead, he'd sought out like-minded men who wanted to get off as much as he did, with no strings attached.  Dean, though...

Cas looked up at Dean and smiled. Dean was different. There'd been an instant attraction, sure, but over the last few weeks he'd smiled and laughed with Dean more than he had with anyone in the last year. There was something between them that he couldn't deny, even if Dean wasn't his normal type of guy. Hell, Dean was a self -proclaimed serial monogamist and 'newly uncloseted,' as he put it. Cas should be running far, far away, but... he would wait until Dean was ready. Cas was caught. Hook, line and sinker. He closed his eyes and gave in to sleep as Dean continued to play with his hair.

The next day, hand in hand with his boyfriend, Dean walked with Cas through his first tour of the time-and-money-vortex known as Bed Bath & Beyond. Cas explained to him that the place was evil, but necessary. He'd recounted the times he'd gone into the store with one or two things on his list, but didn't come out for at least an hour, and always with a bag full of stuff he didn't remember needing when he went in. Dean thought Cas made the place sound like it was under the spell of witches. They browsed around the store, looking at over priced coffee makers and sheets, and framed prints nobody would ever need, and finally found the dishes. 

Dean stood behind Cas, chest pressed up against Cas' back, arms around his waist and chin on his shoulder as they stared at the wall of cups, saucers, plates, and varied cutlery. To say he was overwhelmed was an understatement. He sighed, his breath moving a tuft of hair curled under Cas' ear, and Cas leaned his head into Dean's. Dean closed his eyes, and tightened his grip on Cas' waist, savoring the feeling of having someone so close in such a public place. He'd never been good at public displays of affection with either the men or women he'd dated in the past, and tended to keep his relationships behind closed doors. Having Cas made him want to show off, though. The eye candy on his arm was his, plain and simple, and he wanted people to notice.

Cas pointed to various patterns and place settings that he liked, but Dean didn't care for anything fancy. He wanted functional. In the end, he chose a modest, clean, off-white set of ceramic dishes that served four. Since it was just him, and maybe the occasional addition of Cas or Sam, he didn't feel he needed anything fancy. They continued to browse the rest of the store, and for the first time, Cas left without buying a bunch of things he didn't need. Dean figured his minimalist style was rubbing off on the man, and he was quite happy with himself once they got back to his apartment. He even strutted around his kitchen a bit, which made Cas laugh and pull him in for a tight hug and leisurely kiss. After just three weeks, Dean was gone on the guy. Cas had the sexiest laugh Dean had ever heard, and a smile that could light up any room he was in. He'd do anything to make sure he saw that every day.

 

~~~~~

 

Six months later, Dean and Cas were tired and sweaty, but on their last little bit of furniture, having hauled Dean's entire apartment down two flights of stairs, piece by piece. They were walking slowly now, calves burning and muscles weary, each carrying an end table. After Dean placed them on top of the stack of boxes in the moving truck, he jumped clumsily down to the ground. In doing so, he dislodged the box labeled "dishes" from its precarious position. It fell out of the back of the truck and broke open, spilling and shattering its contents onto the street. 

A pained expression crossed Dean's face, and he immediately bent to clean up the mess, sniffling hard. Cas moved to embrace him, grabbing his shoulders and standing him up straight.

"I'm sorry, babe."

"God, this is so stupid! I shouldn't feel this emotional about broken dishes, Cas!"

"Dean, it's understandable. It reminds you that your brother's not around. But you know what it reminds me of?" Dean shook his head and Cas continued. "It reminds me of the day I first met you. You flung the door open so fast I barely had time to register the fact that I was staring at the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. You and Sam were adorable, standing there explaining why the dishes were broken...and I wanted so badly to ask you out, but I was on duty. If you think about it, it was really because of Sam that we're together. He's the reason all the dishes were broken and there were noise complaints, and he insisted I give you my card. Remember?"

Dean nodded and smiled, and kissed Cas hard enough to make him gasp for air.

Dean sighed into Cas' hair. "I wanna marry you so hard."

"Um..."

"Oh, shit. I said that out loud, didn't I?" Dean's face flamed red, and he backed out of the embrace, looking around, panicked, as if he was going to make a run for it. _Fuck! It's only been three months...I'm literally just now moving in with him. I'm such a tool._ He felt a warm hand on his arm, and turned to face Cas.

"Yes, Dean."

"Huh?"

"Yes, Dean. I want to marry you, too. So hard," Cas sad with a toothy grin.

"Oh, thank Christ!" Dean whooped and fist pumped the air. "Oh! I gotta call Sammy!"

"Good idea. How about we get this truck to the house, take a shower, and order some pizza first, though?"

"Best. Ideas. Ever." Dean accented every word with a kiss. They secured the truck and drove it to Cas' house just outside the city, where they left it backed up to the garage while they went in to take quick showers and order the food.

Dean dialed Sam's cell while Cas paid the delivery driver, and Sam answered immediately.

"What's up, Dean? You get all settled in already?"

"Um...no, not yet. There's something I need to tell you..."

"Dean, what did you do? Please don't tell me you broke up with him. He's good for you. You have to get him back!"

"No, Sammy, stop. I didn't break up with him. My shit's outside in the driveway. We left it in the truck. I'm uh, actually calling because we have some news..."

"Oh. Ok..."

"I...accidentallyaskedCastomarrymetodaywhenIbrokethedishesonthestreet," Dean said quickly, squeezed his eyes shut, and waited for his brother's response. 

"You wha - how - wait. You ACCIDENTALLY asked him to marry you, Dean? How do you accidentally propose to someone?"

Dean sighed. "I broke all of my new dishes in the move, and he was being so sweet, and I THOUGHT I was thinking it, but I said it out loud. And he heard me. And he said 'yes'."

"Damn, dude."

"I know. So...you, uh, you wanna be my best man or what?"

"Is that even a real question, Dean?"

"Good. Good. So....you wanna come over next week for dinner? Cas still has some dishes. You can bring a salad, or...something green. Whatever."

"Yeah, Dean, I'll be there."

 

~~~~~

 

One year later, Dean's standing in a small room wearing a tuxedo, fidgeting, as Sam tries to figure out the bow tie around Dean's neck. 

"Stand still, Dean. This is hard enough without you fidgeting."

"I can't help it. The suit is itchy, and I'm nervous."

"You sound like a child."

"Yeah? Well, you sound like a bitch."

Sam's hands stopped and he stared at his brother, a genuine bitch face in full effect. He couldn't contain his laughter, and in seconds, he and Dean were laughing so hard they were doubled over, trying to catch their breath.

After a few minutes they both got a hold of themselves and Sam finished tying the bow tie. He straightened it, then smoothed the shoulder's of Dean's suit and patted him on the arm. 

"You clean up good, dude."

"Thanks. Cas says I could have been a model."

Sam snorted. "I wouldn't go that far, though I could see you in a cheeseburger commercial." He stood straighter, suddenly, and got all serious. "Dean... you and Cas... you're good for each other, you know? You did good. You both did. Mom and Dad would have been proud."

"Thanks, Sammy." Dean's voice was rough with emotion.

Sam patted him on the arm once more, and opened a door that led out into the large room that was to serve as both the wedding venue and reception hall. White Wedding by Billy Idol began playing, and Dean laughed hard, shaking his head as he and Sam walked to the middle of the room and waited for Cas. The guests chuckled and looked around, and then a collective "ooh" went through the crowd. Dean immediately closed his eyes. 

Sam broke away and took his place beside his uncle Bobby, who was serving as the officiant. Dean stood, with his eyes closed, as he waited to be joined by Cas, who began walking towards Dean with his brother, Gabriel. Dean, eyes still closed, heard Cas stop in front of him, and heard Gabe take his place on the other side of Bobby, but he didn't open his eyes. He heard a few people in the crowd start to giggle, and Cas whispered, "Dean, open your eyes. I'm here."

Dean took a deep breath and opened his eyes, and his breath caught in his throat. He stared at Cas, open-mouthed, as Cas took his hand and led him to stand in front of Bobby. Dean simply could not tear his eyes away. Cas was wearing his impeccably clean and pressed NYPD Dress Blues, complete with the long overcoat with brass buttons, blue tie, cap and white gloves. Cas smiled and reached across with his free hand to close Dean's mouth, then stroked his jaw gently, before grabbing Dean's free hand in his, as they turned to face each other.

Bobby cleared his throat and started the ceremony. "Friends, family, we're here to support the commitment and love between Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak. It's hard enough to find someone you like in this world, let alone someone you wanna marry. These two boys are good kids, and they deserve each other, so let's get 'em married."

The ceremony continued and then came time for the vows. Cas had memorized his. "Dean, you are my partner for life. You had my heart from day one, and I will try, in every way, to be worthy of yours."

Dean blinked back tears as he reached inside his tux jacket for his vows and smiled. "I'm too nervous to memorize anything. So sue me." The guests laughed, but Cas just smiled wide at him, his blue eyes shining bright with his own tears. 

"Cas, I promise to comfort you when the Giants lose, and drink beer with you when they win. Kidding! Kidding. Seriously, though, Cas... the feeling hit me the first time I saw you standing outside my door. I've been in love with you ever since the day we met. I'm so glad we broke those dishes."

Cas wiped a tear from his eye, and Bobby said a few more words before he called for the exchange of rings, which Sam and Gabe gladly handed over.

"Dean and Cas, you may begin your marriage with a kiss. Pucker up, buttercup!"

They exchanged a sweet, tender kiss, embracing and whispering to each other, when Sam and Gabe both came up beside them with a cart full of ceramic dishes. 

Dean threw his head back and laughed, and Cas just shook his head and smiled.

Sam clapped them both on the shoulder. "Guys, go for it. It's tradition now." He smiled, and gestured at the cart of dishes. 

"You wanna?" Dean asked Cas. He could barely contain his excitement for getting to break things. 

"I mean...it IS tradition, after all." Cas smiled wide, grabbed a plate for himself and Dean, and together, hand in hand, they smashed the dishes onto the floor.

 


End file.
